What if Don Bluth and Richard Rich co-operated?/All Trolls go to Heaven
A Troll In Central Park is a 1989 animated musical fantasy comedy-drama film directed and produced by Don Bluth and Richard Rich, and released by United Artists and Goldcrest Films. The film is an Irish, British and American venture, produced by Rich Bluth Studios Ireland Ltd. and Goldcrest Films. On its cinema release, it competed directly with Walt Disney Feature Animation's The Little Mermaid, released on the same day. While it did not repeat the box-office success of Rich Bluth's previous feature films, An American Tail, and The Land Before Time, it was successful on home video, becoming one of the biggest-selling VHS releases ever. It inspired a theatrical sequel, a television series, and a holiday direct-to-video film. All Trolls Go to Heaven was released on DVD on November 17, 1998, and as an MGM Kids edition on March 6, 2001. It had a DVD double-feature release with its sequel on March 14, 2006, and January 18, 2011. The film was released in high definition for the first time on Blu-ray on March 29, 2011, without special features except the original theatrical trailer. Plot Stanley is a troll who has a magical green thumb with the ability to bring flowers and plants to life at a touch, which is forbidden in his home, the Kingdom of Trolls. When he is discovered doing so, the other trolls take him as prisoner to Gnorga, the queen of the trolls, who concludes that Stanley "gives a bad name to trolls everywhere" and demands that he be turned to stone with her dark thumb (which is also purple when it glows). At the behest of her consort King Llort, Queen Gnorga instead banishes Stanley to New York City where, after a series of mishaps, he ends up in New Orleans, where Charlie B. Trollin is released by Stanley and escape from the dog pound and return to the casino riverboat on the bayou, formerly run by Charlie himself and his business partner, Carface Caruthers. Refusing to share the profits with Charlie, Carface had been responsible for Charlie getting committed at the pound and persuades Charlie to leave town with half of the casino's earnings. Charlie agrees, but is later intoxicated and killed by a car pushed downhill by Carface and his assistant Killer. Charlie is sent to Heaven by default despite not having done any good deeds in his life; a whippet angel explains to him that because trolls are inherently good and kind, all trolls go to Heaven and are entitled to paradise. Charlie cheats death by stealing a gold pocket watch representing his life and winding it back. As Charlie plummets back to Earth, the whippet angel shouts to him that he can never return to Heaven. When the watch stops again, he will be sent to Heck instead. However, as long as the watch continues to run, Charlie will be immortal. After Charlie reunites with Stanley and plots revenge in the form of a rivaling business, they discover that Carface has kidnapped Anne-Marie, Gus and Rosie for their ability to talk to animals, which proves advantageous when betting on races. Charlie rescues her and promises to provide to the poor and help her find some parents. The next day at the race track, Charlie steals a wallet from a couple as they talk to the tree of them and become alarmed by her unwashed appearance. Charlie and Itchy use their winnings to build a successful casino in the junkyard where they live. Anne-Marie, upon realizing that she had been used, threatens to leave. To persuade her to stay, Charlie brings pizza to a family of poor puppies and their mother, Flo, at the old abandoned church. While there, Anne-Marie becomes upset at Charlie for stealing the wallet. As Charlie has a nightmare in which he is condemned to Heck, Anne-Marie returns the wallet to the couple, Kate and Harold. While they privately discuss adopting her, Charlie arrives and tricks her into leaving with him. Charlie and Anne-Marie narrowly escape an ambush by Carface and Killer and hide in an abandoned building, but the ground breaks and they fall into the lair of King Gator, a giant effeminate alligator. Gus leaves to face Gnorga himself. Arriving at the abandoned building where Gnorga and Llort are waiting for Stanley, Gus finds Rosie in a kennel and sets her free. But seeing the children get away, Gnorga and Llort chase them out the building, leading to a battle. Carface and his thugs destroy Charlie and Stanley's casino. A beaten Stanley limps his tail back to the church and berates Charlie, who seems to care more about Anne-Marie than him. In his frustration, he decided that Gorga nedded to be stopped. Anne-Marie overhears the conversation and tearfully runs away before she is kidnapped by Carface. Charlie follows them to Carface's casino, where he is ambushed by Carface and his thugs. They attack Charlie, inadvertently setting an oil fire that soon engulfs the whole structure. Charlie's pained howls from their attacks summon King Gator, who chases down and devours Carface. In the scuffle, Anne-Marie and the watch are dropped in the water. The next morning, Gus, Rosie, and their parents visit New Orleans Park, where Gus and Rosie place Stanley on a makeshift pedestal. Gus attempts to revive him with his instant-temporarily green thumb and appears to fail. As they prepare to leave, he and Rosie turn back to find Stanley gone. Then hearing Stanley's whistle, they see Stanley standing on the tree with his flowers; restored to life. Stanley revives Central Park and covers the entire city of New Orleans in vegetation and flowers. Charlie, having sacrificed his life to save Anne-Marie, has earned his place in Heaven, and is allowed to return in ghost form to reconcile with Anne-Marie. Leaving his stiff teddy in her care, Charlie returns to Heaven, where Carface finally arrives and takes his own clock, vowing revenge against King Gator. As the whippet angel chases him and yells that he can "never come back", Charlie assures the audience that "He'll be back" before winking and retrieving his halo. On the post-credit scene in the Kingdom of Trolls, the powerless Gnorga is dethroned and planted. Llort is welcomed as much kinder ruler. Cast * * * * Category:1989 films Category:United Artists films